1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing lures, and more particularly to a diamond-shaped lure wherein weights for varying the lure's operating depth are easily changed.
2. Description of the Related Art
The diamond jig fishing lure is well known, as it approximates the size and shape of bait fish that would be the primary food source for the type of fish meant to be caught. The diamond jig lure is designed for jig fishing. Jig fishing is essentially fishing at or near the bottom of a body of water using a technique that involves a jiggling retrieve of the lure. Conventional jigs, or jigheads, comprise a lead weight molded onto the shank of a fishhook and painted or dressed to resemble bait in order to attract fish.
The diamond jig, e.g. the Bridgeport diamond jig, is essentially an elongated metal jig having an eye at one end for attachment to a fishing line and a second eye at the opposite end for attachment to a fishhook. The jig has the shape of an enlarged diamond, similar to the diamond suit in a deck of playing cards but elongated on the vertical axis, hence the resemblance to a diamond. The body of the diamond jig has two opposing diamond-shaped faces and two opposing edge faces. The jig may be flat, or may be thicker towards the middle of the jig. In addition, the jig may be rounded at the corners. The diamond jig has a predetermined weight built into the body of the lure to cause the lure to sink to the desired depth and to jig or wobble with the desired motion when the line is retrieved. The diamond jig was originally designed to simulate the appearance and movement of a sand eel. The diamond jig has been used successfully to fish for a wide variety of species of game fish, both in salt water and in fresh water. Diamond jigs are available in a variety of weights that are adapted for the particular game fish of interest. For example, such jigs are commonly available from one ounce up to sixteen ounces in weight, and there are some diamond jigs which weigh up to thirty-two ounces.
A problem that the fisherman has is that this requires a variety of diamond jigs of different weights to adjust to the species of fish and the nature of the water conditions. There is a need for a single diamond jig lure that is weight adjustable so that the weight of the lure can be easily adjusted by adding or subtracting ballast to the lure.
Various schemes have been presented to adjust the buoyancy of various types of fishing lures to take the lure to the desired depth where the target fish are presumed to be swimming. A number of these involve changing the weights internally of the body of the lure.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0074830, published Apr. 23, 2003, shows a luminescent fishing jig. The jig has a central chamber and a channel extending from the chamber through the body to the exterior. In one embodiment the body is diamond-shaped in cross section. In some embodiments weights can be inserted through the channel to the chamber, the channel then being plugged. In other embodiments weight is added to the lure externally by attaching weight cassettes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,145, issued Jun. 27, 2000 to J. E. Barringer, describes a plastic lure having a cavity accessible through a hinged door or a detachable door. When the door is detachable, it is secured by snaps. The cavity may receive an attractant, weights, or noise-making components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,617, issued Aug. 6, 1991 to R. L. Waldrip, discloses a fishing lure having a hollow body of clear plastic with a hinged cap at one end for receiving inserts, such as live or cut bait, noise-makers, or filler). The cap may be retained by a hook and ridge type latch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,854, issued Apr. 24, 1990 to J. B. Webre, Jr., teaches a lure attachment with a hollow conical head and a channel to the hollow interior for inserting B-B's, lead balls, or other noise-makes therein. The channel is sealed by a threaded shaft, such as a threaded eyelet or the threaded shaft of a fishhook. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,914, issued Sep. 1, 1987 to L. F. Quinlan, describes a lure with a hollow head, a vent sleeve, and a vent plug. The lure is immersed in water, the head is squeezed and then released so that the vacuum draws water into the head to adjust the specific gravity to the desired degree.
Lures which adjust buoyancy by means of a slidable weight are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,191, issued May 22, 1979 to A. Spivey, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,320, issued Jun. 24, 2003 to T. A., Hnizder. Lures with hollow bodies containing weights in which the bodies comprise two halves permanently sealed together are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,466, issued Jul. 23, 1968 to H. A. Master, U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,084, issued Feb. 14, 1978 to S. Favron, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,337, issued Mar. 20, 2001 to G. Yoshida.
Fish lures with hollow chambers for other purposes are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,664, issued Aug. 2, 1988 to F. Amendda (first hollow body containing electronic circuitry and second hollow body containing LED) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,525, issued Jan. 13, 2004 to J. R. Ford. A lure resembling a diamond jig, but distinguished from the diamond jig by curve-shaped sides and a curved-shaped center that causes the lure to spin faster and move slower when moving downwardly is shown in U.S. Patent Publication Number 2002/0174592, published Nov. 28, 2002. The '592 lure has an axial bore so that the fishing line extends through the lure.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a variable weight diamond jig fishing lure solving the aforementioned problems is desired.